Various aspects of the present invention relate to providing help information, and more particularly, to systems, methods and computer program products for providing dynamic on-the-spot help information to a user interacting with a software application.
New computer applications, especially web applications, are constantly emerging. These new and emerging applications are becoming complex, and require a lot of effort for a novice to completely grasp their usage. In this regard, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide training that is effective in helping users learn these new applications.
Various approaches have been adopted for using traditional techniques to provide help information to users of such software applications. These approaches include paper reference books, electronic manuals, an on-line help desk, multimedia videos or courseware with pictures and sounds for teaching, etc. However, these traditional approaches are not always suitable for user needs. For example, the information provided in reference books and electronic manuals can be so theoretical that it is disadvantageous for users to learn various operations in practice. On-line help is relatively more direct and effective for solving problems. However, on-line help is often not suitable for beginners since many beginners may not know how to determine and describe their problems.